SOUNDS DEADLY

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Year 8 Music: Sounds Deadly 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO COUNTRY & DISCLAIMER

Year 8 Music: Sounds Deadly 2

 Musical Elements

Year 8 Music: Sounds Deadly 3

 Archie Roach: Took the Children Away (1990)

Archie Roach was a part of the stolen generation a policy that ran from 1909 until the 1970s
where Indigenous Australian children were forcibly removed from their family by Australian
government agencies and placed in an orphanage. Roach wrote "Took the Children Away" about
this experience in 1988. He performed the track on a community radio station in Melbourne and
on an Indigenous current affairs program. Australian musician Paul Kelly invited Roach to open his
concert early in 1989, where he performed "Took the Children Away". His performance was met
with stunned silence, followed by shattering applause. The song became significant as it was released
at a time when there was increasing public focus on the Stolen Generations.

Activity 1.1

Listen to the song Took the Children Away by Roach and pick three musical elements that are most
evident to make this a successful composition?

Timbre Instrumentation Expressive Devices

Texture Duration Pitch - Harmony

Pitch - Melody Form Pitch - Tonality

Activity 1.2

In the lyrics Roach mentions the lyrics ‘Sent us off to the mission land. Taught us to read, to write and
pray.’ During this verse what is happening in the accompaniment that could help the listener make
a connection to the programmatic nature of the work?

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Year 8 Music: Sounds Deadly 4

Activity 1.3

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Year 8 Music: Sounds Deadly 5